Wednesday July 29, 2015, the GM Gang members met again for an evening of fellowship at The Bay Restaurant, Dusit Thani Pattaya. You couldn’t have wished for a more gracious host than H.E Chatchawal Supachayanont, General Manager of the Dusit Thani and Swedish Honorary Consul in Pattaya who made the social gathering extra special with his mischievous yet warm sense of humor.
To ensure that the party got off on the right footing, Jens Heier, Director of Kitchens served up a variety of canapés and snacks, accompanied with a chilled glass of Prosecco provided by Koonlapatporn ‘Jeab’ Intarasing of Siam Winery.
Front Row (l-r) Tony Malhotra (Pattaya Mail), Alex Jureeratana (GM Centara Grand Modus Resort Pattaya), Vanjie Lauzon (Asst. Director of Communications Dusit Thani), Pakamon Wongyai (GM Imperial Hotel Pattaya), Chatchawal Supachayanont (GM Dusit Thani Pattaya), Rungthip Suksrikarn (VP Sunbeam Hotels), Rene Pisters (GM Thai Garden Resort), Sanphet Suphabuansathien, (President of the THA Eastern Chapter), Koonlapatporn Intarasing (Siam Winery) and Neoh Kean Boon (RM Dusit Thani Pattaya). Back Row (l-r) Larry Choi (Dusit Thani Pattaya), Max Sieracki (GM Nova Platinum), Carl Duggan (GM Centara Grand Phratamnak Resort Pattaya), Bundarik Kusolvitya (MD The City Hotel Sriracha), Natthasith Wijitwikrom (Mountain Beach Hotel), Danilo Becker (Thai Garden Resort) and Jonas Sjostedt (GM Nova Hotel & Spa).
The GM Gang members were well entertained by Chatchawal who with his sharp wit and wisdom kept the guests in fits of laughter throughout. Guests were also treated to an Indian Dance show performed by the hotel staff and a live band kept people entertained during the early part of the evening.
Dinner was served in The Bay Restaurant where Chef Jens and his staff had prepared a magnificent international buffet.
Peter Malhotra, MD of Pattaya Mail Media Group, a longtime Pattaya resident and close friend of the GM Gang was invited to speak on the background of the GM Gang and how it has become what it is today.
Friends gather around Sanphet ‘Mod’ Suphabuansathien as he prepares to blow out the candles on his birthday cake.
He said, “Going back in time for at least 40 years, which were the early days of modern Pattaya, businesses were struggling to get their new ventures up and running. It was still the pioneering days and like every other new business venture the hotel industry also wanted to stake their claim to the hospitality segment of the economy. Hotel operators and their executives had practically no time for making acquaintances and friendships with each other. Everyone had only one thing in mind and that was to make their businesses succeed. So as you can imagine, competition was fierce.
“Chatchawal, former chairman of the Thai Hotel Association (THA) Eastern Chapter saw the need to bring this group of professionals together as he perceived that the only way forward for Pattaya and the hotel business was for everyone to work with unity and cooperation towards the betterment of the industry as a whole.
Max Sieracki (left) poses with Jens Heier, Director of Kitchens.
“He took the initiative and invited like-minded business operators for regular informal get-togethers. This turned out to be quite popular and the group grew in numbers.
“For the past two decades general managers and top executives of hotels in Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard met on a regular basis for the purpose of not only to build friendships with newcomers but also to strengthen bonds of cooperation with their old friends and colleagues.”
Tony presents the birthday boy with a keg of Paulaner.
One of the highlights of the evening was the birthday celebration of Sanphet Suphabuansathien, President of the THA Eastern Chapter who turned 48, and of course looks nowhere near his age. GM Gang presented the birthday boy with gifts including a 5 litre barrel of Paulaner Beer presented by Tony Malhotra, Business Development Director of the Pattaya Mail Media Group.
The Dusit Thani rolled in a surprise birthday cake for the occasion and all GM Gang members took the opportunity to wish Mod a very happy and healthy birthday.
Carl Duggan (left) and Alex Jureeratana (right) pose with the charming new kid in town, Pakamon Wongyai, GM Imperial Hotel Pattaya.
